DAYTON, Ohio, August 12, 2026 — Reynolds and Reynolds today announced the winners of the 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest and celebrated another successful retail summit. Amplify 2026 was a two-day gathering that brought dealers and industry leaders to the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, California for hands-on technology experiences, practical workshops, and a look at what is next for automotive retail. The event focused on helping dealership teams turn AI, unified data, connected workflows, and operational best practices into measurable business results.
“Amplify 2026 was a tremendous success because dealers from across the country made it one,” said Chris Walsh, president and acting CEO of Reynolds. “Dealers came ready to ask great questions, share what is working in their stores, and experience new technology firsthand. The energy in Carlsbad reinforced what makes this summit special: practical ideas, honest conversations, and a shared commitment to moving automotive retail forward.”
The Reynolds Innovation Roadmap morning keynote brought AJ McGowan, vice president of Research and Development; Greg Uland, vice president of Marketing; and Brent McDorman, Flex product development manager, to the main stage. Their sessions focused on moving from question to action with Rey, solving sales efficiency through truly unified customer data, and simplifying fixed operations with Reynolds Flex.
Rey, the agentic AI assistant, uses the Spark AI Unified Data Layer to help dealerships turn trusted information into immediate action. During hands-on workshops, attendees explored how it can deliver complex reporting, strategic recommendations, customer communication, deal structure, operational analysis, workflow automation, and support through a single command center.
Additional workshops gave attendees practical takeaways on compliance, paperless service processes, clean data, transportation and fleet opportunities, responsible AI adoption, inventory strategy, accounting efficiency, and warranty optimization. The Amplify expo complemented those sessions with demonstrations of how connected solutions and AI-enabled workflows can improve efficiency and business outcomes across the dealership.
The summit also celebrated dealership professionals through the 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest. Five finalists presented best practices that challenged long-held assumptions and addressed difficult operational pain points. Each winner received a trophy and a $5,000 donation to the charity of their choice.
Chris Lasko, of BMW of Pittsburgh, received the Innovation Award for building a fully remote finance department that challenged the assumption that an F&I manager must work inside the store. The approach helped close coverage gaps caused by vacations, illness, and turnover, expanded the dealership’s access to talent nationwide, shortened customer wait times, and lowered fixed staffing costs. Lasko selected the Andrew Carnegie Free Library to receive the $5,000 donation.
Randy Carlton, of Volvo Cars Bellevue, a member of the Swickard Auto Group, received the Impact Award for his initiative that requires all his salespeople to send a video walkaround of the vehicle they’re interested in to every lead, via email or text. According to Carlton, this builds customer connections with his salespeople and helps the customer identify the associate when they arrive, making the buying process feel seamless from online to in-store. Carlton selected the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to receive the $5,000 donation.
Together, the finalist presentations reflected the broader purpose of Amplify: giving dealership professionals a place to share practical ideas, learn from one another, and turn innovation into stronger performance.
“Amplify 2026 reinforced how innovative our industry is – from the new products and features on display, to the best practices developed by the Automotive Amplifiers contest finalists,” concluded Walsh. “We are carrying that momentum forward as we continue building the most connected, intelligent solutions available that turn trusted data into action and help our customers create stronger results for their businesses.”
At the end of the event, the date and location of next year’s Amplify event it was also announced – August 19-20 at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. Registration for Amplify 2027 is open.
More information about Reynolds Retail Summit: Amplify is available at reyrey.com/amplify.
About Reynolds
Reynolds and Reynolds is the leading provider of automotive dealership technology, award-winning support, and document services. With its Spark AI Unified Data Layer backed by decades of leading innovation, Reynolds is advancing artificial intelligence and robotics to help dealers better engage consumers, drive more efficient operations, and increase profitability. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major U.S. operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, Tampa, Florida, and Celina, Ohio, as well as operations in Canada, the U.K., and Europe. (www.reyrey.com)
